1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a garment container apparatus, and in particular to an apparatus having a first storage section adapted for transporting hanging garments, and a second storage section hingedly connected therewith and designed for transportation of related items such as, for example, toiletries and clothing accessories. The first storage section includes a garment support structure pivotally mounted between opposed marginal walls. The garment support structure is adapted to pivot between a first closed position and a second open position, and has an inflatable bladder which cooperates with a rigid cushion restraint means to hold hanging garments in fixed position to prevent wrinkling.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
Various types of luggage structures and systems have been devised over many years. Certain types of luggage containers are well adapted for casual travel purposes, including duffel type bags and modern soft-sided luggage. This category of luggage is particularly well suited to vacation and similar casual travel, since the purpose of such travel permits and indeed encourages the packing of clothing which is not intended for use in formal settings.
Business travel, however, generally calls for the transportation of a different category of personal items. Certain items, for example, shoes, toiletries, undergarments and clothing accessories, are generally transported for both casual and business purposes. However, business travel nearly always requires in addition the transportation of business clothing, including business suits. For this latter category of clothing items, soft luggage or duffel bags are not suitable, simply because these types of luggage do not provide for packing of business clothing in such manner that the clothing remains neat and unwrinkled.
In modern times, there has been a progression of developments in the area of luggage designed for business travel. During the period when domestic travel was primarily by train, and international travel exclusively by ship, large travel trunks were utilized for business as well as other travel. Such trunks included space for hanging business clothing, as well as removable compartments or drawers for the storage of shirts, shoes and other clothing items. These trunks, however, while well adapted for transporting a variety of clothing, are heavy and bulky and thus not particularly well suited for use in modern travel by airplane and car.
With the advent of these more modern means of conveyance, lighter and more streamlined luggage came into favor. These hard-sided suitcases featured a more narrow profile, and were intended to perform something of the function of a trunk, being designed to hold both business clothing and other items. Therefore, these suitcases generally included one side devoted to carrying supporting items such as shoes, toiletries and the like, and another side specially adapted for carrying business clothing. In particular, these cases featured some sort of mechanism to securely hold clothing hooks, and a restraint means, typically a ladder-like structure, that was intended to prevent wrinkling.
Because of the shortcomings of hard-sided luggage, particularly with regard to their general failure to maintain the shape and neatness of business clothing, the luggage industry developed the modern soft garment bag. This type of luggage is designed to pack garments by hanging them on hangers, full length, in the unfolded bag suspended from one end above the floor. The garments are secured and the bag is loaded ready for carrying by unhooking, laying flat, folding doubly the bag with contents and strapping shut. Some garment bags incorporate pockets sewn into the extremities to accommodate the packing of other clothing items and accessories, but because of the limitation of cubic space in such a design it is usually easier to utilize a smaller second piece of luggage for carrying non-garment items.
This latter tendency, to associate a garment bag with a smaller bag for carrying related materials, has led to the development of yet another type of luggage, namely a combination garment bag/valise. This development generally involves the detachable connection of the two luggage bags, usually by wrapping the garment bag around the valise.
As the foregoing suggests, the problem of how to transport hanging business clothing in one container with other materials in such manner that the business clothing remains neat and unwrinkled has yet to be resolved.